Description
The real-life Donatello was one of the most important sculptors of the early Renaissance era, a creative genius who helped shape the future of statuary and architecture. Since the late 1980s, though, that’s all been secondary to the other Donatello, the one who’s the smartest of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. That’s just how history works sometimes. You spend five centuries or so known as the guy whose sculpture of David launched an artistic revolution, and then one day, bam – you’re replaced by a giant, crime-fighting, pizza-loving turtle who’s good with computers. It’s a weird world.
On the other hand, how many people outside of art history classes would be talking about the original Donatello in this day and age if not for his turtle namesake? Heck, inspiring the TMNT crew is probably the best thing that could have happened for the old sculptor’s brand. Sure, it’s the bo staff and the sewer-based battling that get kids excited in the first place, but eventually a good number of those kids are going to get curious and type “Donatello” into a search engine, and voila: an instant education in 15th Century sculpture!
For now, though, your youngster is probably more interested in the fun, hero-in-a-halfshell side of Donatello, and that is 100 percent OK. Get the turtle power flowing with this deluxe polyester costume, featuring foam wrist cuffs, belt, knee and elbow pads and shoe covers. Molded foam shell and belly pieces create a cool, realistic look, topped off with a smiling, full-face latex mask. It’s a classic look for battling ninjas, chowing down on a slice, or sculpting a bronze statue of a horse and rider for an Italian cathedral. All right, maybe not the last one.